Wire-rope clamp.



W. E. BELCHER.

WIRE ROPE CLAMP. APPLICATION FILED n: 29, 1911.

1,027,234. 1 v Patntgd May 21,1912.

' I WITNESSES:

INVENfO/f ATTORNEYS LUMIIA PLANOIIAPI'I w WASHINGTON; D- C.

WALLACE E. IBELCHER,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WIRE-ROPE oLAi/Ir.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Application filed May 29, 1911.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Serial No. 630,059.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALLACE E. BELOHER, a citizen of the United. States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certainnew and useful Improvements in WVire-Rope Clamps,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clamps particularly adapted for firmlyconnecting together or splicing wires, ropes, cables, rods and similarelements and also for attaching or securing one or more of such elementsto a fixed support, such as a pole, bracket or similar member.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a device of thischaracter which shall present only rounded surfaces to the cables orropes to be clamped, thereby presenting frictional'surfaces of maximumarea for engagement with the cables or ropes,

thus enabling them to be most effectively clamped and held and alsoobviating sharp corners or edges which would tend to cut or injure thecables or ropes.

Another object is to provide a device which shall permit the curvedportion of the U-shaped clamping bolt to be projected through the mainclamping member or link thereby permitting the parts to be assembledwithout removing the clamping nuts from'the bolt.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsillustrating preferred embodiments thereof. 1

Referring to the drawings: Figure l is an elevation of the main clampingmember or link; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the U- shaped clamping bolt,one end being threaded and provided with nut; Fig. 3 is a side elevationof a fixed support, such as a steel angle, with the U-shaped bolt inposition to receive the link and connecting wires or cables; Fig; 4 is aside elevation of the fixed support, with the device assembled and inuse as a supporting and con necting clamp, and Fig. 5 isa sectional viewtaken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, showing position taken by the Wires inpassing through the clamp, and a cross section of the supporting piece.

On the drawings, 1 designates the body portion of a clamp which is madeas shown in the form of an elongated link. The stock or material fromwhich the link is constructed is circular in cross section, thuspresenting curved surfaces at all points and eliminating any sharp edgesor corners which might tend to cut, fray or injure the cables or ropestobe clamped. A U-shaped clamping bolt 2 is proportioned so that itscurved portion may be inserted through the centrally disposed slot ofthe link 1. This bolt, as shown, has one relatively short leg 7 and along leg 8, the long leg being threaded for engagement by a nut 9. Asshown in Figs. 3, 4: and 5, the clampis employed to attach or fasten aplurality of cables 10 toa permanent support 11 which is shown in theform of an angle iron and may be secured to a pole, bracket or otherrigid support. In utilizing this form 01' clamp the U-shaped bolt may befirst in-' serted in the hole in the angle iron or other support 11 andthe nut 9 threaded part way on as shown in Fig. 3. The link 5 may thenbe slipped over the curved portion of the bolt and the cables or ropes10 may then be passed over the end of the short leg 7 so as to be heldin place by the curved portion of the bolt. .After the wires or cableshave been stretched the nut 9 may be turned up to draw the curvedportion of the bolt toward the link and thereby clamp the cables betweenthe curved portion of the bolt and the curved surfaces of the link asshown in Fig. 4, the cables being thereby depressed into the elongatedslot in the link and firmly and securely clamped in position. Thedepression and clamping of the cables is clearly shown in Fig. 5.

It may sometimes be desirable to construct the U-shaped bolt with twolong legs 8 of equal length, each threaded to receive a clamping nut 9.While this form of the invention may be employed for attaching orconnecting cables to a stationary support similar to the form shown inFigs. 3, a and 5, it is, however, particularly adapted for connecting orsplicing two or more cables or ropes 10. When the U-shaped bolt is drawndown by screwing up the nuts 9 against the link 1 the cables will bedrawn into the slot in the link 1, as shown in Fig. .5 and the cablescan be clamped as tightly as necessary or desired, by turning up. theclamping nuts 9 the required amount. It will be obvious that curved orrounded surfaces only are presented to the cables both on the link andon the U-shapedbolt so that there is no danger or possibility of cuttingor fraying the cables such as would result from contact of the cableswith sharp corners or edges.

lhe device is simple in construction and cheap to manufacture and isadapted to be used in connection with one or a number of cables or ropesand is equally eflicient when used with either large or small cables, itbeing obvious that the curved portion of the bolt can be drawn down intothe elongated slot in the link as far as may be necessary to securelyclamp and hold the cables in position.

I claim: A wire rope clamp comprising an elongated link formed ofmaterial circular in cross-section, providing rounded bearing surfacesfor a cable and having a centrally disposed elongated slot, a U-shapedbolt formed of material substantially circular in cross-section toprovide rounded bearing surfaces for a cable disposed between said boltand the link, said bolt having one leg thereof longer than the other toengage with a support, and means for drawing the crown of said bolttoward the link to firmly clamp a cable between the rounded surfaces ofsaid link and bolt.

WVALLACE E. BELOHER. WVitnesses:

IRA J. WILSON, M. ROBERTSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

